Over the past year, Britney has been under lock and key after a number of disturbing incidents, including shaving her head and losing visitation rights to her children. Only recently has she started coming back into the spotlight with numerous TV performances and a highly anticipated new album.

But Britney is still very much in the care of an army of handlers, and discussed her lack of freedom in MTV’s “Britney: For the Record”. So who would have guessed that the person to save her would be but a lowly mutant?

In the past week, Ms. Spears has begun to act very differently. During the day she may still be Britney, but at night, she is BATney, causing mischief around town with the one and only Bat Boy!

Eyewitnesses have reported seeing the two giggling and hiding behind bushes outside popular night spots. When the time is right they jump out shrieking at passing paparazzi, who run for their lives.

They have also been spotted TP’ing her ex-husband’s house and throwing eggs at Adnan Ghalib, her former lover and F-list celeb.

Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, refused to confirm these reports to Weekly World News reporters, but stated, “If it was her, and I’m not saying it is, well at least she’d be having fun. That little bat boy is kinda creepy, but he seems like a good kid.”

Is Bat Boy using Britney to get publicity? Or does he just want to show her how to be happy again?